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Board president Anthony Battaglia poses next to a medical training mannequin in the simulated emergency room at Keystone Simulation & Education Center.

Kris B. Mamula

At the region’s first training center of its kind, the ambulance replica is near the emergency room look-alike, which is near the faux intensive care unit and finally the fake apartment living room and bathroom.

The scenes are among the training backdrops that will be offered at the Keystone Simulation and Education Center, which is scheduled to open June 4 at a former elementary school in Monaca. The center is the brainchild of Anthony Battaglia, who is president and CEO of Pocket Nurse, an Ambridge-based mail order medical equipment company.

Battaglia, a critical care nurse with 12 years’ experience, also serves as board president of Keystone, which is an independent, nonprofit center. The rooms will be leased to individuals and groups, who will have the option of webcasting courses.

Most hospitals have classrooms equipped with life-like mannequins that are used to teach rescue and other techniques to nurses, doctors and other health professionals. What differentiates the Keystone center is the variety of procedures that can be taught and options available to deliver course material.

Location will also set Keystone Simulation apart, Battaglia said. The center is located near Pittsburgh International Airport, the Heritage Valley Health System and three colleges, making it a ready resource.

The ambulance and hospital scenes, where medical professionals can be filmed while handling various training programs, including emergencies, were part of a $3.5 million renovation of the former 24,000-square-foot school. Students can review the tapes after the session to critique performance.

In addition to the fake hospital emergency room and apartment, the center has backdrops for teaching pharmacy and blood bank technicians.

Training using mannequins and other simulation equipment has proven to be effective, according to Dr. Paul Phrampus, director of the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation Education & Research. A University of Pittsburgh study six weeks ago showed that people trained using simulation made fewer medication errors in hospital intensive care units than others who had not undergone the training.

SimMedical Co., a for-profit Pitt spinoff that sells simulation training courses, has seen business boom as word of the program’s effectiveness has spread, Phrampus said.

Some of the equipment in simulation centers can be pricey — $80,000 for a mannequin — making it difficult for some academic institutions to run programs, according to Rosanna Henry, a nursing instructor at Duquesne University. Henry has toured the Keystone center and liked what she saw. “The realism is there,” she said. “Simulation is the way to go to reduce patient errors.”

Simulation training

The Keystone Simulation and Education Center is set to open June 4.Location: MonacaBoard president: Anthony BattagliaPurpose: To offer simulation training sessions to nurses, doctors and other health professionals.

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